Lydia was scheduled to meet her suitors in the newly-built patio at the East Wing of the Montaire Palace. This cozy hangout spot was built at the request of the princess herself, designed as a place for her to laze around with her books or have some casual chit-chat with her friends.
The patio connected directly to the second floor of the East Wing's hall, through huge, ornate doors, overlooking the lush garden and medium-sized pond on the first floor. Thanks to its great location, this spot was warm in the morning, and quite breezy in the afternoon. Some people might call this place an oversized balcony, but Lydia insisted that it was a patio.
Those who entered the patio would be greeted by two fairly large sculptures of angels. One on the right side, and one on the left. Two large statues might seem like too much for a patio this size, but there was actually a reason behind their size. These statues hide a small path on either side of the patio. It was only noticeable if somebody were close enough to the statue and looked behind it, or if they walked toward the concrete railings and looked down.
Lydia requested such a peculiar design for one purpose only: she wanted to jump-scare her guests. And that was the reason why, despite wearing high heels, expensive designer clothes, and a simple yet elegant hairdo, Lydia was currently crouching at that precise spot. She knew her suitors would enter the patio any moment now, and she wanted to surprise them.
Just imagining their surprised faces already put a smile on my face
Little did she know that this would be the biggest mistake of her life.
It was 12.30 in the afternoon, and Julien was the first to arrive. He stopped at the entrance, looked around the patio, and let out a big sigh.
"What a gaudy place! So wasteful," he said to himself.
Excuse me?
Julien took a seat on one of the sofas in the middle of the patio. He picked the one that allowed him to have his back against the sun. He wasn't a big fan of bright places.
Since there was nobody to talk to, Julien opened his phone. Lydia couldn't see Julien's phone screen, but she could imagine he would read the news about the stock market or other boring things like that.
Adrien, surprisingly, was the second one to arrive. He wore jeans and a leather jacket, a sharp contrast to Julien's suit and tie.
Adrien? I never thought he'd arrive on time
"Hey there, Jules. First one to arrive, I see," said Adrien as he walked toward the sofa. He picked the closest one, which made him sit right opposite Julien.
"Adrien. It's not often to see you arriving so early," said Julien, barely glancing away from his phone. Which was true, by the way. Even Lydia expected the playful Adrien to arrive late.
"Ah, well, I had an early morning shoot today, so I've already woken up since 6 in the morning." He stretched his body and let out a fairly big yawn. "I'm actually sleepy right now, but for some reason, can't sleep. So might as well come to this little gathering. By the way, where's Victor? And more importantly, where's our dear princess?"
"I believe Victor said that he had a meeting with a cabinet member this morning," said Julien, still occupied with his phone. "As for the Princess, well, your guess is as good as mine. Knowing her, she might still be asleep right now."
How rude! Just so you know, I've been ready since an hour ago
Right at that moment, Victor, in his expensive three-piece suit, made an entrance.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said, rushing toward the sofa on Adrien's left side. His back was right against Lydia's hiding spot.
"Victor," said Julien.
"Hey Vic, what's up?" said Adrien.
"So... this is the new patio that I've been hearing about." Victor looked around, trying to catch as many details as possible. "Open space, lots of light, books, elaborate ornaments, two freaking huge statues. It's very her, isn't it?"
Yes! Thank you, Victor
"Can't say I'm a big fan, though," continued the young politician.
"It's too gaudy for me," said Julien.
"Eh, it's okay. I've seen worse," said Adrien.
You guys! What the hell? That's so mean...
Victor leaned forward and looked at his two close friends on his right and left. "Guys, since our host hasn't arrived yet, can I ask you guys some personal questions?"
"What do you have in mind?" replied Julien.
"Sure, shoot away," said Adrien, nearly at the same time as Julien.
Lydia was actually ready to jump up and surprise them, but sensing that an important conversation was about to ensue, she decided to stay put. In fact, she leaned closer so that she could hear everything.
Victor finally spoke up his mind. "I know we are childhood friends and one of us would inevitably end up as Lydia's husband," he said with a serious look on his face, "but to be perfectly honest with you, I don't really want to be her husband."
What?
"Can you elaborate?" asked Julien. Adrien, curiously enough, stayed silent.
"Look, I'm in a great position right now. I'm still far from my goal to be a prime minister like my father, but I'm on the rise. My career is going great, and I've made connections with lots of important and influential people that could potentially help me rise even further," explained Victor. "Marrying a princess would put a lot of restrictions on me. I am already under public scrutiny as it is, marrying her would only add fuel to the fire. And let me tell you something, those powerful people that I said earlier, they don't appreciate being in the spotlight."
Adrien was the first one to respond. "I actually feel the same way. I've been in the spotlight ever since I was born, even more so than you, Vic."
"Well, that's what happened when you are the child of a famous actress and the owner of a Media Mogul," said Victor.
"I know, and I'm not complaining." Adrien paused for a bit, and then continued. "But there is a certain level of freedom that I can have thanks to my status as a famous actor. One that I wouldn't be able to enjoy if I married a princess."
Lydia felt a sharp sting on her chest.
"You mean your current debauchery way of life?" replied Julien.
"Hey, at least I know how to have fun, Mr. Always-working-all-the-time."
"How about you, Jules?" Victor looked at his old friend dead in the eye. "Do you honestly want to marry Lydia?"
Julien paused for a while, and let out a deep sigh. "Our bank is in the middle of an important talk with a foreign entity right now. This thing requires my full attention. And as you said, Victor, more public scrutiny on me is the last thing I need."
No, not you too, Jules...
"In other words, you don't want to marry her, right?" asked Adrien, his head resting on his right hand.
"No. At least not right now."
Lydia crossed her arms and held her shoulders as tight as she could. Tears started to well up.
"Another thing." Victor continued. "Lydia is a wonderful person, there's no question about that. But what I need beside me right now is somebody who is not only smart, but also ruthless. She's much too childish for politics. I'm sure you guys feel the same way, right? Or do you think she can fully support you and your work?"
Please stop, Victor
Adrien, once again, was the first one to respond to Victor's question. "Well, she is beautiful, I give you that. Honestly speaking, Lydia is way more beautiful than some of my celebrity friends. But I need more than a pretty face. I need someone who knows how to have fun, someone who could be the life of a party, someone who could shine on the stage with me."
"Lydia is a cheerful girl, isn't she? Is she not cheerful enough for you?" asked Julien.
"No, you don't get it, Jules." Adrien was so passionate about this topic that he nearly stood up from his chair. "Lydia is only cheerful when she is with us. She would much rather spend her entire days in her room, drowning in her books. She's a nerd, Jules."
Lydia could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. She knew she shouldn't ruin her makeup, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop it.
"Look, Jules," Victor tapped Julien's knee, "Weren't you the one who said that Lydia is childish?"
Julien paused for a second. "Yes, I did say that she could be childish sometimes."
"Then you agree with us, aren't you?" asked Victor, trying to convince his old friend.
"So, none of us wanted to marry Lydia," Julien looked at the two men around him, "Is that what you're saying?"
"I guess so?" Adrien shrugged.
Victor leaned back and said, "It's just not the right time for me, man."
Lydia's heart was crushed. Her body was trembling. Her mouth quivered, and her tears kept pouring out, showing no sign of stopping.
Please. That's enough. Don't say another word
"So what do you think we should do about it?" Victor once again initiated the important talk. "Should we talk to the Queen?"
"Ugh...I don't like that idea," said Adrien, suddenly feeling squeamish.
"Neither do I," Victor continued talking. "And if I'm the only one who talked to her about it, even I will shit my pants. But since all of us felt the same way, well, let's do it together. As they said, there's strength in numbers, you know?"
Lydia couldn't bear hearing them talking any longer. She reached her phone and began typing something on it.
While in the heat of conversation, the phone notifications of the three men rang at the same time. They were a bit surprised by such a coincidence. Adrien was the first one to look at his phone.
"It's Lydia. She canceled the meeting. She said something important came up."
"Dammit. This is so typical of her." Victor stood up. "I'm out, Gentlemen. I have other more important things to attend to. Can't believe she wasted my time on this. So childish."
Adrien let out a big sigh. "Let's go, Jules. Let's get some lunch."
Julien didn't say a word. He looked at Lydia's message for a while.
"Hey Jules! Come on." Adrien grabbed his friend's shoulder.
"Yeah, let's go."
Lydia had been biting her lip, trying to stay quiet as best as she could. But once she couldn't hear the sound of their shoes any longer, she finally let out her pent-up emotions, and cried her heart out.